Battlefield 3

Yeah. Itʼs been quite a while since I posted… again. But, this time Iʼm truly sorry and I will try my best to keep you people informed with reviews whenever I find a game worth reviewing. Anyways, Iʼd just like to quickly put out of the way that this blog is now one year old, with almost 5,000 views. Iʼm not sure if thatʼs good or bad, but for me 5k views it pretty good in one year, though for some of you it may not be. Anyways, today Iʼm bringing you my view of Battlefield 3. Let me go ahead and clear the campaign and co-op out of the way, and then move on to the main experience- multiplayer.

The campaign places you in the shoes of Sgt. Henry Blackburn, a soldier who is being interrogated due to false accusations, while trying to prove his innocence. The interrogators ask him a question, and he answers it through his point of view. Sometimes, it swaps around and the interrogators are the ones telling the story.

Impressive destruction.

The campaign.. was very unexciting and stale. Not only was it short, but it wasnʼt very fun either. The story, first of all, wasnʼt even terribly exciting nor entertaining. While playing, I didnʼt really care for the main plot until the last mission, which is the only mission where something that makes the plot interesting happens. This may have also been affected by the fact that there wasnʼt too much variation in the missions. Sure, you got to drive a tank once or twice, and be the gunner of a helicopter, but most of the time you were on foot just killing enemies, mostly in urban areas. Which brings me to another point- even though this is a battlefield, the only vehicle you actually get to drive is a tank in single player; unlike Bad Company 2 which had you driving several vehicles. Not even a four wheeler. The effects were great and there were many explosions, but not very many sad emotional moments that Battlefield should have. This isnʼt a hollywood movie; itʼs a game from a great series. The story could have been a lot better. So if youʼre getting the game for the campaign then you will be very disappointed. The crude humor in Bad Company 2 and variation in vehicles, objectives and missions completely defeated this game in its campaign. Letʼs move on to co-op.

Battlefield 3 co-op.

Co-op is a new edition in Battlefield. Itʼs a few extra missions with their own modified storyline that can be played solo or with a friend online. Additional weapons for multi player can be unlocked through playing co-op as well. Co-op is nothing too memorable. It can be a good experience with a friend, but there isnʼt really much teamwork. Itʼs just missions based of the campaign that vary, and you do get to pilot a helicopter in one but other than that youʼre mainly doing the same thing you did in the campaign, except with a friend and an even less appealing story.

Now, let me cover the biggest feature in this game: the online experience. Battlefield 3 is a very visually appealing game, which you can see from the picture provided. This added to its beautiful destruction makes it even better. The new upgraded Frostbite 2.0 game engine created better sound, graphics, and destruction than Bad Company 2. Also, PC players get even sweeter graphics and a whopping 32 vs. 32 player lobbies… Consoles only get 12 vs. 12 which isnʼt too shabby but nonetheless Battlefield 3 wins in PC. To support this, the maps are also larger now. And thereʼs more of them. Rush and Conquest are better than ever with the new huge maps and added vehicles. However, Battlefield 3 created some maps and placed them on objective based game modes and they just donʼt fit for these type of game modes … Battlefield rush and conquest should be played on huge maps, with many vehicles. Maps such as Grand Bazaar are tight, and thereʼs very little ways to leave spawn and push out for attackers, thus giving defenders an easy way to spawn kill. And thereʼs only one vehicle: a tank. Which brings me to my next point: Spawn killing is much worse than Bad Company 2. Many maps allow people to enter your spawn, and camping with a tank right in the enemyʼs spawn is usually effective. But, when this doesnʼt happen then the game is quite enjoyable. I love playing on huge maps with a squad with people that play their class. Which, takes me to the next thing I want to talk about.

Hooah!

The classes are more tactical and team-based than ever. Recons get spawn devices as well as gadgets that engineers can use to lock on vehicles. The Support class gets machine guns with ammo boxes, like classic Battlefield. Medics get assault rifles now, and engineers still use submachine guns. This just creates a game that even adds more teamwork and tactical gameplay, and if you have a good team that communicates with people that play their part, then this game can be amazing! Whenever you need something you can go over to someone with the right class and ask them for ammo using an in-game feature. You can also spot enemies and vehicles, allowing your team mates to help you take them down. However… If youʼre not playing with people you know then most idiots will never help you. Just in example, Iʼm a colonel (Reached level 45) and I only recall about getting ammo from supports about ten times. The game suffers when this happens, but if you play with mature trustworthy people then this can easily be avoided. Oh yes, bigger and better destruction/maps means more vehicles. Additional vehicles have been added, such as jets (yes, jets!) more tanks, and more transport vehicles. Apart from that, vehicles can receive unlock able stat upgrades. Driving/piloting mechanics are a bit more challenging now, but this is better because it makes a more challenging game.

A jet in action.

The last thing Iʼd like to mention is thereʼs more guns than ever. Not only do you unlock guns by leveling up your player or class, you can also unlock guns by completing separate assignments. Thereʼs dozens of attachments for each weapon and on many the firing mode can be changed (semi-auto, automatic, burst). To sum it all up, Battlefield 3 is strong in its multi player. My experience on it so far has been mixed. While rush and conquest were great playing with people I knew, with strangers it usually isnʼt as good as it could be. Anyways, I had and still do have loads of fun while playing multi player. The huge maps with several vehicles, epic destruction and tactical team-based gameplay is just the perfect combination for a good game. Itʼs very fun to play games while unlocking new things to push your game up to the limit. It fails in the campaign and co-op isnʼt too great either but overall itʼs worth it. I just donʼt like how you need to buy the game new or else youʼll need to pay for an online pass. Here’s some multi-player gameplay I captured straight from my new capture card.

Infinty Ward removes Favela from Modern Warfare 2

Modern Warfare 2 has offended many, many people. It even made Russia ban it from its store shelves. But yet, the terrorist mission wasn’t the only thing Infinity Ward added that they knew might prove to be offensive. This time, it was something in the map Favela.

Have you noticed that you weren’t able to play on Favela for nearly three weeks now? That’s because someone from the Muslim community noticed something in one of the bathrooms of Favela. It was a picture, and on its frames it had writing in Arabic that is related to the Muslim religion. And, in the Muslim religion, you supposedly cannot place anything related to their religion in a place as ‘disrespectful’ as a restroom. Either Infinity Ward was extremely stupid, or just went ahead and did this knowing that it would eventually be found.

But, to see this writing the video maker had to use the sniper scope to zoom in and read it. Why would he be doing that in a game in the first place- reading portraits on the walls in toilets? I don’t know, but either way Infinity Ward was just reckless in making Modern Warfare 2. They removed the map from public servers, and added a patch to the Islams that were offended where the portrait border was now in black. I just don’t know what else to say about this.

Hilarious IGN Parody!

Have you wondered about how IGN gave Modern Warfare 3 a whole nine out of ten stars rating? Well, it’s pretty obvious- they were bribed because Infinity Ward realized that they didn’t put any effort or thought into their game, and just copy/pasted it from Modern Warfare 2’s engine. So, they just use some of their money that they wipe their butts with and used it to bribe good ol’ IGN. Their review talks about the game like an advertisement would. Here’s a hilarious parody on the review I found off YouTube created by TheUnbaisedGamer. If you haven’t seen the original one, watch it- this video will be a lot funnier afterwards. Remember, don’t listen to those ‘reviewers’.

If I worked at IGN, I’d make a video about it with this verdict:
– Multiplayer is extremely similar; game engine was copy & pasted

– Campaign barely has any emotional effect and is all mindless explosions. Very boring and forgettable experience

– Spec Ops is unoriginal, and barely provides any fun

– Nothing new at all except for a new pretty look

– Infinity Ward tried to bribe us

+ May entertain little children

0.5- Terrible-  Use the disc as a Frisbee outside

Fallout 3 [Point Lookout]

Hello there, gamers. I’m back! Once again, I’m sorry for being gone for such a while. School has been open for nearly four weeks now, and I’ve been piled with assignments. However, I’ve cut out some time so that I could write a review on some Fallout 3 downloadable content. I’ve purchased the game of the year edition, so I am able to review each of the add-ons whenever I feel up to it.  After playing through all five, I’ll begin by reviewing my favorite, called ‘Point Lookout’.

Point Lookout is set inside a small swampland several miles away from the Capital Wasteland on the coast of Maryland. Being a rural area, it wasn’t affected as hard as the Capital Wasteland was after the bombs fell. However, radiation has leaked out, and the island’s creatures mutated just like they did in the Washington.

Welcome to Point Lookout!

As soon as you begin entering the Point Lookout on your riverboat, you’ll see that it was once a center tourist attraction, with a board walk, ferris wheel, and several shops. However, all that remains of the place overall is a foggy swamp. Naturally, the first thing I did was begin to explore, despite the fact that there are missions ready to be completed. Point Lookout is a true Fallout 3 DLC. Unlike other Fallout 3 downloadable content such as Operation Anchorage which require you to do one thing, with nothing else to do, Point Lookout has it all. There’s a huge island ready to be explored, as well as side quests and main ones.

Throughout the island, there are several buildings to run into, some long abandoned, some still inhabited by the many mutated humans who aren’t willing to be friends with you. And even furthermore, some areas are a complete mystery, such as caves, evil sacrifice temples, and sunken submarines. Exploration is not only extremely entertaining in Point Lookout, it can also be extremely rewarding. It’s even possible to to turn on the broken lighthouse if you explore and find out where the hidden lightbulb is.

Mutated Hillbillies. One word- awesome.

Being an area were several soldiers met their fate after the Civil War, there are several weapons and items you won’t find anywhere else. From Confederate hats, to double barrel shotguns, there are several unique items. Scavenging and exploring therefore, can be especially rewarding in Point Lookout.

The main mission, however, isn’t really enticing. It doesn’t have anything to do with the Fallout 3 storyline, and simply stars two enemies, giving you a choice for which you want to side with. It does require you to explore and see some cool, creepy areas, and it does make you question about what’s going on occasionally- but overall, the box of ammunition/money you receive as an award just doesn’t make up for the slightly-boring and deceiving main story. Promises were made that I’d find out anything I wanted about Fallout 3, but not kept. All I got was a ton of ammo. The side quests are much more interesting, and rewards your mental stomach and itch for exploration.

What could this mansion have in store for you?

There is one downsize, though. Occasionally, lag and freezing would just crash onto me. It would get so bad I’d have to restart the game. Lag wasn’t extremely common, but when it hit it was bad. This is almost the only bad thing about Point Lookout.

To sum it all up, Point Lookout is mainly for exploration throughout the many rundown buildings, caves, and question-raising creepy areas. The side quests aren’t very rewarding with in-game items as much as the main story is, but it’s alot richer in climax. I enjoyed traveling this swampy lagoon, exploring the many areas of interest, and playing through the side quests. Point Lookout is extremely entertaining in the exploration sense, and side missions.

Pro’s:

• Huge swampland, with alot of areas to explore

• Enticing side missions

• Has the Fallout 3 feel to it

Con’s:

• Boring main mission

• Occasionally lags brutally

Point Lookout is available for download for only ten dollars, or in the cheap twenty dollar Game of The Year Edition. I highly recommend getting it if you love Fallout 3 for what it is.

Prepare for videos!

I’d just like to begin with apologizing for being inactive for a decent amount of time. It’s just that I’ve been busy with school, and then forget about writing reviews. Yes, I must confess! But not to worry, I have a surprise for you guys that just might make up for some of the long time waiting! I’m very excited to announce that I just ordered a High Definition Capture Card, the AVerMedia Capture Card HD. I’ve decided that, along with each review, I’ll add some game play of that game/Downloadable Content being reviewed! This may take a day longer to create and publish reviews, but I hope you guys will agree with me that it will be worth it. Shipping claims I will receive it in five-seven days, so I ask you to please wait a little bit longer. This cost me one hundred and twenty dollars, so I hope you guys will enjoy the videos. Thank You for your time and patience.

 

8/23/12 Edit: I’m sorry, quality isn’t good right now, videos will have to be delayed for a little.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

The sequel to the original Modern Warfare was one of the most anticipated games in the year of 2009, and received and all time high of $550 million dollars worldwide in the first five days alone in profits. Such high records and sale levels must point towards the conclusion that it’s a great game, but this didn’t exactly turn out to be even one of the best games. I’ll begin reviewing this game with its single player campaign.

Epic single player missions vary in every possible way!

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 included the standard single player campaign which began five years after Modern Warfare ended. It included four different difficulty levels, and lasted on average as little as 5-8 hours. The story line is rather basic, and simply goes on in a war between the Russians as always, as well as a new terrorist group being led by Vladmir Makarov. It features several different missions, each with their own locations such as a destroyed, invaded Washington D.C., mountain bases, and even regular Favelas. They also vary in action, with some being stealth, some wild vehicle chases, and of course the standard gun shooting. The graphics have a decent touch of detail into them as well. However, the story line is not very enticing since it doesn’t always stick to one main objective until the end, but yet randomly has extremely  inappropriate scenes and missions that have no need to be played according to the campaign. One of these missions called ‘No Russian’, features an undercover C.I.A. agent in a terrorist group gunning down thousands of innocent civilians in an airport caused Russia to tear Modern Warfare 2 out of its store shelves. What is Infinity Ward trying to do, teach eight-ten year old kids who play this game that it’s okay to enter an airport, and gun down thousands of people? Despite all of this, the game does get slightly emotional in other missions, which I can’t reveal for it will spoil the game for you. Overall, the campaign is quite a detailed, epicly varied single player mode, but has its reputation ruined by extremely unnecessary, and brutal missions.

Why include such an unnecessary, brutal and cruel mission?

Modern Warfare 2 also introduced a new game mode called Special Ops. This extremely addictive mode featured several short missions that can be played solo or co-op with a friend online. Each mission had its own difficulty level, and the better you complete one, the more stars you received, which then went to unlocking more levels. Just like the campaign, the Special Ops missions vary in location, and objective. From snowmobile racing to explosion packed co-op chopper gunner action, Spec Ops added alot more hours of fun to Modern Warfare 2.

Snowmobile racing is just one of the many Special Ops missions.

And finally, probably the largest part of this game: Multi player. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 introduced several new weapons, perks and equipment, as well as customizable classes and killstreaks (A number of kills earned without dying). Sixteen new maps were added in various sizes and areas, and around a dozen game modes could be played. Multiplayer was fun, but yet could also be a terribly frustrating experience. The game allowed the player to select a main weapon, a secondary, three perks which later could be upgraded to better perks when a certain challenge was complete, and two pieces of equipment in five different classes. In each game, you earned experience points, which were used to level up. For each new level, you unlocked new guns and killstreaks. This seems like a fair combination for multiplayer, but several of the weapons and equipment the developer added were clearly stupid, uneeded and corrupted the game.

Let me begin with the the weapons. Infinity Ward overpowered all of their weapons, and some were made one hit kill in any hit. This made dying a task far to easy to be even close to realism. Instead of looking over this and helping fix this, Infinity Ward took an even worse step and added amazingly unbalanced weapons and perks. A few examples are the Model 1887s. Extremely overpowered shotguns unlocked by the highest ranked players that aren’t even modern- this goes against the game title. They are always one hit kill, and before you can even realize someone is there, you’d die of a shotgun that is far to powerful. There is also a perk named ‘One Man army’, where you can change classes whenever you want. This seemed like a handy tool, but obviously the developer didn’t intend for it to be abused  for creating minefields with claymores, and for unlimited grenade launchers. Another terrible perk is called ‘Commando’, which allowed the player to knife the enemy from about five feet away in a second. The ‘tactical insertion’ equipment introduced an all time high level of boosting, where a player uses a flare to mark his next spawn location. This allowed cheaters to easily get free kills on one another to level up. There are also deathstreaks, where you receive boosts after dying without any kills which are too powerful. I understand this is meant to help you out, but sometimes it’s just too unfair for other players. The worst death streak is ‘Pain Killer’, where your health increases by two or three times for ten seconds after spawning. Expect even more unfair moments in the game.

COMMMMMAAAAAANNNNDDDDDDDOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

All of the most overpowered weapons and perks are usually the easiest to get, but the hardest to fight against. Infinity ward made the huge mistake of handing out overpowered weapons as well as ridiculous perks, but barely any way to fight back at them. While there are ways to stop these unfair perks/weapons, they take up to many slots of space while the actual unbalanced weapon barely takes any. Not only does the game’s content have issues, the game itself does, too! The spawn system is AWFUL, and one can easily spawnkill over and over if he’s in the right spot.

This game had a good shot at being the best, and it failed so miserably!

Overall, Modern Warfare 2 is an unbalanced multi player experience, and has an epic yet slightly corrupt singleplayer. Still,Special Ops slightly fixes these two issues. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 receives 3 stars for just not thinking everything through, and rushing to start earning unearned money!

Metro 2033

Metro 2033

Many of the modern American well-known game companies create poorly developed games without the decency or appeal that would be needed to entice several people. Because of this, a handful of nice games from other less popular companies never reach thousands of people. However, this game here did reach me- and though it still may remain not as well known as it should be, it is an amazing game and needs to be known. Today, I’ll be sharing with you my review on 4A games’ ‘Metro 2033’.
Set in the post-apocalyptic ruins of Moscow in the year 2033, all the last remaining Moscow cititizens moved into the large city’s metro tunnels, and over the many years turned it into a fortress; a home against the grim, bitter world lacking life, except for the foul mutants and demons that prowl through the land on the ground. The continous war between the humans and the Dark Ones, the mutants, was nearing an end. With the Dark Ones brutually murdering every human they found, and even lurking throughought the metro station, it was clear that humanity would perish if something was not done. In this game, you play as a twenty year old man named Artyom, who begins a long journey when his friend Hunter sends him on a mission which may decide which specie will win: The Dark Ones, or the humans.
This is a truly detailed, gloomy game with great graphics and a decent feel to it. It does not simply portray gore and screaming and slap it all in your face hoping you would feel something. While it does have lots of gore, it also has a feel of panic or fear. Never knowing what might be crawling in the shaddows, and not knowing wether the mutant that ate the corpse before you is still around is always the correct recipe for a perfect post-apocalyptic game. Oh, and did I mention to you that the game even goes into enough detail to require a gas mask at all times on the surface or in other certain locations? This may seem like an obvious feature, but several post apocalyptic games don’t have this.
The assortment of tools in this game are also really amazing. Like I mentioned, there is not only a gas mask which you have to careful with because it can crack in battle, but it requires air filters that can be bought in stores or found by scavenging. A flashlight and nightvision goggles are also there for you to use, and can each be powered up by pumping pressure into them manually. This is a post-aoycalyptic world- you don’t get high-tech technology.. These tools are a great feature that really help you out and make you feel as if you are actually battling in a bitter Moscow full of anxiety, and panic.

Trust your gas mask and weapon to protect you from the horrors of the ruins of Moscow.

Metro 2033 captures the feeling of desperatness, and has the player economise precious ammunition, and greatly rewards scavenging. Along every path you explore, there will be alot of spare supplies lying around, so you don’t just simply go through a straight path hoping that there will be some spare ammo lying around wherver you go. If you hear the click of your gun’s lack of ammo, then you know you shouldv’e economised ammunition or scavenged around more. Only the smart and strong survive in situations like this.
Apart from scavenging, you can also buy items at shops for a better chance of survival. The metro has several shops at stations, and the only currency used is shiny-pre war bullets that can be found lying around everywhere. Through the game, you will find several different types of weapons, with five main categories for guns: assault rifles, submachine guns, shotguns, a revolver, or just the good old fashion knife/throwing knife. These can also be bought through stores, and upgraded with attachments such as red dot sight, silencers, or attached knives.
It doesn’t even stop there. Apart from there being the constant need for survival on your mind while you play Metro 2033, there’s also other strange things that make you want to keep playing the game for answers: paranormal activity in several ‘haunted’ locations. There’s also the moments where you step into another universe with ‘The Dark Ones’ whispering something, trying to stop you from reaching a certain goal. But was it? What does this mean?

What is this new phenomenon..?

However, one slight let-down is that Metro 2033 most certainly is not a sandbox game. You don’t have the option to explore the vast ruins of Moscow wherever and whenever you please. The game simply rather makes you to go through particular paths to reach your goal location. Don’t go around expecting an expansive world like Fallout gave you. While this is a slight disappointment, it doesn’t add dull repetative locations. Each and every tunnel you explore has its own eery, and creepy feel to it with varied enemies. There’s also the option of wether you should pass through like a ninja using the shadows as your friend, or attack head on. Several other locations such as the vast ruins of the outside Moscow or pre-war buildings also wait for you to explore. You don’t also just simply do one thing in general such as advance forward, and kill everyone blindly. Every mission varies in size, feel, or even goal in general. This isn’t such a huge problem, but it would have been nice to be able to explore the areas you’ve been through again after beating the game.

Nope, you don’t just walk all the time and kill all hostiles.

This game has several required missions, as well as some optional ones that will make you feel good about yourself when completed, as well as give you karma. Throughout the game, you will get rewarded with karma points for every good thing you do such as avoiding an enemy’s death, or helping out someone in need. At the end of the game, based on the amount of karma points you get, you will either recieve the ‘bad’ ending, or the ‘good’ ending. I won’t spoil it for you, but I will say both endings make sense and aren’t crummy and question-raising.
Alas, a game can’t be completly perfect. The better games usually have a handful of glitches, and this is one of those games. Sometimes, the correct action doesn’t happen when you hit the correct buttons, and in other times cutscenes don’t play through normally and require for you to load your last checkpoint. However, these aren’t huge problems and can easily be forgotten.
The final thing I would like to say about this game is just overall how I felt while playing it. It may have lasted me at least twenty hours on normal mode, but I most certainly do not regret buying it. Like I said, this isn’t a game with random violence and gore, hoping for you to be frightened by it. The atmosphere, the very feel itself of being in such a world- is just right for a great game.

After thinking over it, the glitches are minor, and the inability to explore freely after the game ends isn’t to bad either. This game is great enough to deserve five stars.

Don’t listen to the popular game reviewers such as IGN. This is an amazing game, and if you have an Xbox 360 or a Windows computer, then I definetly recommend getting Metro 2033. It not only lasts a decent amount of time, but it really puts the saying ‘The survival of the fittest’ into action. With a unique story based on Dmitry Glukhovsky’s book Metro 2033, and even an option to play the game in Russian, Metro 2033 is a game you should definitely pick up.

The rage meter shows just how frustrated you can get with this game. The highlighted level is the one this game gets. Here are the levels:

Level 1) It’s all cool. I like this game. Not angry in the slightest bit.

Level 2) This is slightly annoying…

Level 3) It’s getting out of hand…

Level 4) OKAY… Starting to get angry..

Level 5) Excuse me while I go and smash everyone in my lobby’s console. $#@$@$#@$@$!!@#!!(~((!)

2,000 hits = Giveaway

Have you noticed that the blog has just recently hit two thousand total hits? Well, I know I most certainly have and personally, I think that’s good news to see that my blog is gaining traffic. What started out as a simple idea grew into several hours of reviews for you to enjoy as much as I enjoyed writing them for you. I honestly had no idea that I would actually reach such an amount. Though it may not be much, it’s a big step. Maybe later on it’ll be five thousand views- then one day, ten thousand. But that is dozens or maybe even hundreds of reviews away, and maybe even with some game play of each game thrown in as well! Yes, I’ve been considering getting a Roxio Game Capture card, and if I decide to do so, you’ll get some HD game play along with each review. To make you readers enjoy this as much as I do, I’ve decided to host another small 100 Microsoft Point Giveaway.

   100 Microsoft Point Giveaway! To enter, all you have to is subscribe with your e-mail, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Then, leave a comment below. The winner will be contacted through his or her e-mail if he/she is following us and liked us. The contest ends on July 5th, 2012. Good luck! Also, I’ve decided to have even larger giveaway prizes when I reach certain points. Here they are!

Three thousand hits: 200 Microsoft Points

Five thousand hits: 400 Microsoft Points

Ten thousand hits: 800 Microsoft Points

*These will be given away only if the blog is still in my interests and I am actively writing on it.

Metro 2033

Tomorrow, I’ll begin writing a review on Battlefield: Bad Company 2’s  ‘Vietnam’ downloadable content. If you are tired of DLC reviews, then don’t worry- in a few days, you’ll be getting one on ‘Metro 2033’, a interesting post-apocalyptic game developed in Ukraine.

Grand Theft Auto IV [The Lost and Damned]

The Lost and Damned

Hey, welcome back! I’m glad that I finally got back to writing more reviews so that you can be able to know about what you are planning to purchase, or just to see what the game/DLC is like! I’ve been playing alot of Grand Theft Auto IV lately, so I  even got around to buying a downloadable add-on called ‘The Lost and Damned’. After playing it for a few hours, I’ve decided that I’ll kick back into business by reviewing it. Enjoy, and thank you once again for coming by.

The Lost and Damned

The Lost and Damned is a ten dollar downloadable content package that expands the game and allows you to play it as a different character with several new features, missions, and even game physics. This DLC has you playing as the vice president named Johnny of the infamous biker gang of Liberty City. It’s a great way to continue playing Grand Theft Auto IV once you’ve already beaten the original story as it contains several spoilers.

First off, the pack includes a decent amount of  new missions, side missions, and multiplayer game modes for you to play. The story lasts about 7-10 hours, and can extend longer if you decide to complete all the other side missions there are. You play mainly completing tasks to keep the gang alive such as selling drugs, stealing, killing and fighting against your primary rival, The Angels of Death. Apart from that, there are other action filled missions just for money- but don’t worry, although it may sound simple, you actually jump straight into the action just minutes after you begin  playing TLAD. Also, since you are part of a gang, a number of the missions will played alongside with your fellow ‘brothers’, which can be prove to be a great help if you raise their toughness, which can be done by completing missions with them. The story isn’t very appealing as the original one, but still proves to be a decent amount of fun to experience what it’s like to play from Johnny’s point of view since you even meet Niko in a mission where you played as him. Throughout the game, you may have heard of prison breaks and terrorist attacks, and here you get to be the one doing all those things. Awesome!

Secondly, it gives you great new feeling of playing the game. Rockstar decided to add a more rough feeling to the game, and slightly changed the way the game looks. It looks darker, and adds a slightly depressing feeling to the environment. This is very fitting since you are part of a infamous gang, and adds a complete new way of playing GTA IV.  Apart from that, the motorcycle physics have been greatly improved. While playing as Niko, the slightest hit in a motorcycle will send you flying dozens of feet into the air. However, in TLAD you’re glued to the seat in most times, and this makes riding the bikes such an advantage that you won’t ever want to drive a car, which is great because you are supposed to be a ‘biker for life’. Although you aren’t entirely immune to falling off your bike, the times that you are sent  flying into the air from bike crashing will be greatly reduced. Now ain’t that something?

Riding with your brothers for life down the streets is something you’ll be doing alot.

The next great thing that this content pack has to offer is the perks of being in a gang. Instead of being more of a lone wolf such as Niko was, you’ll have alot more perks in being part of a gang. Your friends can drive bikes to you when you are in need, you have  the ability to call them for support in some missions, and they can even sell you guns for discounted prices. You also have a gang clubhouse where you can do all the basic things such as save your game, watch television, get on the internet, or even hang out with other gang members in arm wresting, pool, or cards.

Of course, there’s also new toys such as the sawed of shotgun, automatic 9mm, automatic shotgun (awesomeness), or grenade launcher. It’s a shame that you can’t use these in the original story, but it’s still good to have it here. It feels great to ride roughly on your bike with the new awesome crash resistance while holding onto new weapons, and blasting them away at whoever and whatever you want. Not only that, but there are new radio stations, television shows, etc. There’s also a new air hockey game where you can play it against your gang brothers.

Another great thing I have to say about ‘The Lost and Damned’ is that it has a new way of racing. In races, you will ride in bikes and will be able to knock other players on your left or right side with baseball bats. It’s always fun to race by and smack another player in the face right off their bike, right?

Finally, let’s cover the new multiplayer options. You still access multiplayer through your cell phone, but now you have a ‘Instant Play’ option where you can quickly hop into a game. There are also six new game modes. One is called “Witness protection”, a team based game mode where one squad plays at the Lost, and other as the N.O.O.S.E. who try to protect three witnesses as they make their way to the police station with evidence against the bikers, whose job is to kill them to make sure they don’t squeal. The next mode, “Own the City”, is a territorial game where each team attempts to gain as many territories in the city as possible. There is one problem, however: Each territory your team takes over has its own NPC characters that protect it while you’re off taking over another, so you can’t just steal an enemy’s territory while they’re away without a fight.

Looks like this Lone Wolf is in for a fight.

The third is is motorcycle racing as I described earlier, but in multiplayer. Fourth, is  “Lone Wolf Biker” where a player is the ‘lone wolf’ and has to survive as long as possible with all the other players charging to attempt to take him down. Kill the Lone Wolf, and you become the target. The longest player to survive as the Lone Wolf wins the game. In “Chopper vs. Chopper”, you play as either a pilot in a helicopter or the driver of a motorcycle. If you are the driver, you have to get to as many checkpoints throughout the city as possible, while the pilot simply has to take the biker down.

And finally, the sixth new game mode: “Club Business,” in which  everyone plays as a member of the Lost. Tasks will be announced, and everyone will rush to complete as many of them first in order to win. However, you will gain money by completing tasks and the team with the most cash will in the team-based version of this game mode.

Riding on your motorcycle with your new double barrel out. Lots of fun.

Overall, for ten dollars this is something you’ll want to get if you’re a fan of Grand Theft Auto four and have already played the original story. It feels great to be able to experience how to play as another character with a new gritty look to the city, and get the perks of being in a gang instead of being alone. Plus, when you throw in awesome new ways of riding the motorcycles and all the new things to see, hear, and do in the city, this is a DLC you  should pick up for only ten dollars. I’m having fun seeing the city in its new look, ride on my bike and smash into cars all I want and not fall off, or just play the new missions as the vice president of a vicious biker gang.

Con’s:

• The story isn’t as appealing as the original GTA IV story.

• You still occasionally fly of your bike from the slightest hits.

Pro’s:

• Six great new multiplayer gamemodes.

• New gritty look to the city as well as updated TV shows, websites, radio stations, etc

• New weapons and the great new bike physics

• Experience Johnny point of view in several missions and side tasks.

• New ways of racing, and new games such as air hockey, arm wrestling or cards.

Call of Duty: Black Ops [Rezurrection]

So far, the only thing I’ve ever reviewed was games. Even though there were many games reviewed, and many people got to scoop in information from my reviews, I think that it’s time that maybe I go in and review a few select DLC. Today, I’ll be reviewing Call of Duty: Black Op’s fourth and last DLC, ‘Rezurrection’.

Being the last DLC is probably the reason that Treyarch decided to make it something special, and different from all the others. Thus, they decided to not only include one completely new zombie map just like every other DLC, which was Moon, but to also include four remastered World at War maps, including ‘Nacht Der Untoten, Shi No Numa, Verruckt, and the all time favorite, Der Riese. I’ll start off by reviewing every single map in order of their release and then combining a conclusion to whether this DLC is worth the fifteen dollar pricetag on it.

Call of Duty: Black Ops- Rezurrection

To kick off our list is ‘Nacht Der Untoten’, the smallest, and first zombie map of the Call of Duty series. Originally in World at War, the map had no pack-a-punch, electricity, or perk-a-cola machines. It was known for its small, compact size in the creepy small ruined German building setting. Not only was there a downstairs area, there was an upstairs one where the player could scan incoming zombies and eliminate them in the foggy outside ruins before they come in. It provides a certain amount of older standard wall weapons, such as double barrel shotgun, rifles/sniper rifles, and assault rifles. There’s also one random box that doesn’t move (there is no teddy bear that moves the box). The map is great for quick, intense matches of zombies as it is tiny, and only has three unlock able doors/debris. Much to our despise, Treyarch didn’t even bother to add perks, except for one- Mule Kick. Nor did they include pack-a-punch or electricity. The map itself remains completely the same. There aren’t even any easter eggs, or dogs that provide max ammo. Still, it is a good, fun map.

Next off is ‘Shi No Numa’, the old Japanese swamp village. It’s a medium sized, unordinary zombie map with four different sections with their own huts you could head to. Each has its own special trap, and random perk-a-cola machine. The guns off the walls are of all nations, but mainly German, with favorites such as the ‘Trench gun’, and the ‘BAR’. There is no electricity, or pack-a-punch; however, there is a special zipline cart to let the player escape from the ground from the hundreds of zombie minions (there are no dogs), to the center/main building. This map is a pretty good one- there’s also several easter eggs hidden around the place.

Following that is ‘Verruckt’, a overrun, burned down sanatorium in Germany. It’s a rectangular shaped building, with a small courtyard in the center for the zombies only. The unique part of this map is that the spawn has a door that seperates two groups of players, and can only be opened once the power switch is turned on. The guns on the walls are mainly German, such as the ‘MP40’, but like always there are older World War II weapons of all nations. All of the perks are there, as well as several electrical traps to keep of waves of zombies.

Der Riese, the overrun German factory.

The last remaining remastered World at War map is ‘Der Riese’, yet another German map, yet this time a factory somewhere in Berlin. This map is a favorite among many gamers, and I can see why. It is large, has three teleporters, all the perk-a-colas, and just about everything else that Black Ops zombie maps have. It has several doors to unlock, many German guns off the walls, and pack-a-punch. This map is great for co-op, and provides lots of fun zombie shooting throughout the many rooms and areas of the factory. Easter eggs show that it was overrun and then abandoned in panic. There’s even a dead hand on the power switch. It has dogs every six rounds, and then eventually the zombies and dogs mix together, creating a even greater co-op challenge.

Moon map’s small indoor field with gravity launchers.

And finally, the new Call of Duty: Black Ops map: Moon. It has a cool setting and idea for zombies- the moon. Not only is it that, but there’s is even a small little map back on Earth’s area 51, where you can play a minigame of running away from unlimited zombies until you have enough and step on the teleporter to moon. You are required to keep on a helmet at all times for oxygen, which muffles out the noise and introduces a new way of shooting zombies- that, and no gravity, which means higher jumping. The map is large, and has everything that the other up-to-date zombie maps have, including a new perk called ‘hacker’, which reduces the price of opening doors. There are no dogs, but has many stronger zombies. The guns on the walls are up-to-date, and there are even new, fiction ones such as you see in the picture above. It’s known for its hard challenges, and has a center field where you can jump on gravity launchers that shoot you up in the air. It’s not a great map compared to the others, but certainly does still provide fun.

Is this DLC pack worth it? Maybe not if you have already played the World at War maps. But if you haven’t, and are a zombie fan, this is the DLC pack for you. You can get Call of Duty: Black Op’s fourth map pack, Rezurrection, for only $14.99 from Black Op’s in-game store. I’ve decided to also include a small pro’s and con’s list to every DLC I review in the future, just like the games have their own rage meter. So, here they are:

Pro’s: 

• Four cool remastered zombie maps with new guns, perks, and easter eggs.
• A new zombie map, moon.
• Fitting zombie settings.
• More one-four player co-op/solo zombie slaying.

Con’s:

• Remastered maps aren’t remade to well; they barely changed in actual content.
• Maps are still a bit glitchy here and there.
• Little effort/ideas put into ‘remastering’ the maps.